Feline Touch
by Wraith Ink-Slinger
Summary: Sequel to "Soft Spot." What is life like for Reid now that he has a cat? Oneshot.


Feline Touch

A/N: Hello, everyone! So, a couple of people requested (or hinted at) a sequel-type thing showing how Reid and Cleo get along, and here we are! I decided to indulge you guys and show how Cleo affects our dear genius' life. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable, including, but not limited to: Criminal Minds, or the characters. Apparently, I was not being very original with a calico cat named Cleo, so…

I dedicate this story to: vixen-of-the-roses and Black Mary Janes who both have cats named "Cleo." ^_^

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_There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat._

_~Tay Hohoff_

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Agents Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid all sat at their desks, enjoying a brief break from consultations and paper work over lunch. Conversation had drifted from topic to topic until, eventually, they ended up talking about pets. "So, Reid, how's life with Cleo?" Prentiss asked over her Caesar salad.

"Oh… it's fine." Reid said, avoiding looking at his coworkers.

"Fine? What's that supposed to mean?" Morgan asked between bites of roast beef sandwich.

The young man looked up from his peanut butter sandwich and glanced at Morgan and Prentiss. "It's kind of weird." He said.

Prentiss grinned at him. "Considering what we deal with every day, I doubt anything you tell us is going to be 'weird' in our books."

Reid was silent for a moment more before he began to explain. "I swear, this cat is like the mother I never had, or something… she's been getting me to eat dinner more, and sleep more regularly, and actually stop working and relax for a little while. At first I just thought I was imagining it, but really… I'm pretty sure Cleo's doing it on purpose." He said in a rush.

Morgan and Prentiss were silent for a moment before Morgan spoke. "Yeah, okay, that's a little weird in my book."

Prentiss shot Morgan a glare before turning back to Reid. "I'm sure you're just imagining it. I mean, you've been living by yourself for a while; you're probably just taking better care of yourself now that you have something else to take care of." She reasoned.

Reid looked at her blankly and then forced out a chuckle. "Yeah, that must be it. I mean, that makes more sense than the alternative." He said, still laughing.

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That evening, Reid actually made it home at a reasonable time, coming in with a handful of case files. Cleo rushed immediately to him, purring and rubbing against his legs affectionately. "Hey, Cleo." Reid greeting the affectionate creature, picking her up and stroking her head.

Carrying the small cat in one arm and the files in the other, Reid sat down at his kitchen table and spread the files out. "I've got work to do now, but we can play later." He told the cat, placing her gently on the floor.

Cleo sat by his feet for a few minutes before running off. Reid took no notice, he was already involved in a world of paper work.

Later, a glance at the clock told him he had been working for almost an hour; it was 6:45. His stomach had been growling, but he ignored its loud protest. He could eat when he finished. However, Cleo had different ideas. A thud several feet to his right made Reid jump and drop his pen. Turning to see what the noise was, he saw that Cleo sat on the countertop, watching him expectantly. The thud had been the box of cereal she had knocked down.

Reid's mind flashed temporarily back the conversation he and his coworkers had had earlier that day. He shook his head and dismissed the thought. He was imagining it, simple as that. He turned back to his work to pick up his pen and found that it was missing. After searching for a minute or two, Reid heard Cleo playfully pushing something around on the floor behind him.

Cleo had found the pen and was chasing it around the kitchen floor. Reid smiled and watched for a minute. However, as he moved to pick the pen up off the floor, Cleo knocked just out of his reach- under the refrigerator. Staring incredulously at the cat, who looked back at him without an ounce of remorse, Reid threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine. I'll eat dinner." He told Cleo, who mewed quietly.

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After dinner, Reid went in search of another pen and, upon finding one, returned to his work. After another half hour of working, though, Cleo had other plans. She hopped up onto the table, marched over to Reid, and sat down on the form he had been filling out. "Excuse me." Reid said, poking the cat with the tip of his pen.

Cleo refused to move. She licked his nose and batted at his tie, remaining firmly seated on his paperwork. "Come on, Cleo, just let me finish this, then I'll play with you." Reid couldn't believe he was begging his cat to let him finish working.

The cat didn't budge. She sat and stared somberly back at Reid. "You're a cat. You can't tell me what to do." Reid told her.

Finally, Reid scooped Cleo up and dropped her gently on the floor. "Later." He said firmly.

However, within minutes, Cleo had returned to her place on top of the file Reid was trying to read. "This is ridiculous!" Reid muttered, picking Cleo up and putting her back on the floor.

After a few more rounds of this game, Cleo did not seem to be growing bored of it one bit, but Reid was fed up. "Fine, you want to play?" He asked the cat, who, of course, didn't answer. "Let's go play, then."

Reid walked into the living room, picked up the cat wand which was lying in the middle of the floor, and began waving it back and forth for Cleo to chase. 45 minutes later, Cleo had gotten tired of every toy Reid had to offer and finally allowed the young genius to return to his work.

Glancing at the clock, Reid saw it was about 9:30. Stiff from sitting at the table and then on the floor for so long, he decided to move his base of operations into his bedroom. Not to sleep, he told himself, but to stretch out.

At 10:00, Cleo jumped up on the other side of Reid's large bed, stared at him for a few minutes, curled up in a ball, and shut her eyes. Every once in a while, she looked back up at him, as if to make sure he was watching her, and then went back to sleep. Occasionally, she yawned. After her second yawn, Reid found himself yawning along with her. "You know, that's not such a bad idea…" He muttered, watching the sleeping cat.

He gave up on his paper work, pulled on his pajamas, got into bed, and turned out the lights. Shortly thereafter, Cleo curled up on his stomach and fell asleep once more.

Yawning, Reid shut his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. _Morgan and Prentiss can call me crazy, but having Cleo around isn't such a bad thing…_

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_The cat could very well be man's best friend but would never stoop to admitting it._

_~Doug Larson_

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A/N: Yes, Cleo's got Reid trained pretty well… Hope you guys enjoyed! Review, if you want to…


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